What’s new & noteworthy on DVD & Blu-ray – May 6, 2014

Veronica Mars – Pretty close to a perfect movie, Veronica Mars (which was famously funded through Kickstarter) is a movie made for the fans that people brand new to the franchise can easily hum pinto and enjoy. With tons of familiar faces from the TV show, lots of in-joke nods to the fans, some great cameos, a strong central mystery, and tons of the show’s trademark humor, there’s just nothing NOT to like here. If it didn’t play in theaters near you, now is the time to check it out, and I can almost guarantee you won’t be disappointed. This one is a lot of fun.

Sony’s Godzilla Blu-rays – With the big-screen Godzilla reboot only a few days away, Sony has wisely released a slew of Godzilla films on Blu-ray for the first time. Interestingly, these aren’t the classic Godzilla flicks, but the more recent ones, which die-hard fans might decry, but more casual fans will probably enjoy. Each set comes with two films in high def for the first time, and here’s the line-up of two-film sets: Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah & Godzilla Vs. Mothra; Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II & Godzilla Vs. Spacegodzilla, Godzilla: Final Wars & Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.; Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah & Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus: The G Annihilation Strategy. Cheesetastic!

Blazing Saddles: 40th Anniversary – One of Mel Brooks’ most famous and best films returns to Blu-ray with an all-new Blu-ray edition, packaged in a nice slipcover with 10 collectible art cards. This is as classic as comedy gets, and there’s a reason it’s been released on video so many times, but this edition comes not only with the aforementioned art cards, but also an all-new making of special feature. If you don’t already own the film in high def, this is a must-have.

Paramount Catalog – Paramount releases five films that make their Blu-ray debuts: The Terminal, Amistad, Spirit: Stallion of theCimarron, Godfather III (available for the first time separately), and Crocodile Dundee & Crocodile Dundee II: Double Feature. Interestingly for me, Amistad and The Terminal represented two of the only Steven Spielberg films I had never seen. The Terminal was not a very big hit, but I actually liked it quite a bit, finding it humorous, charming, and winning. Amistad is probably the better film from a technical and critical standpoint, but its long running length dampened my enthusiasm for it There’s no denying the power of the performances, though. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is a highly underrated animated adventure, which I like very much. It skews a bit towards older kids, as there are some intense moments, but I have to say, I’ve been a fan of this film since it came out. The Godfather Part III has previously only been available on Blu-ray as part of a trilogy collection, and Crocodile Dundee & Crocodile Dundee II: Double Feature marks both films’ first time on Blu-ray. And while Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles isn’t a good film by any stretch, the fact that it’s excluded from this collection is kind of annoying for fans.

The Art of the Steal – A surprisingly good heist comedy caper film, The Art of the Steal is a LOT of fun. Kurt Russell headlines with Matt Dillon, Jay Baruchel, Terence Stamp, Jason Jones, and Katherine Winnick supporting, and they are all clearly having a lot of fun. To tell you much about the plot would spoil the fun, but suffice it to say it involves stolen art, double crossing, an inept interpol agent, and a four-foot-tall statue of a woman’s anatomy. This one is definitely worth tracing down.

Classic Television Blu-rays – CBS has released three of the most iconic and classic sitcoms in history on Blu-ray for the first time, and they’ve pulled out all the stops. The Honeymooners: Classic 39 Episodes, I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season One, and The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete First Season are all brand new to high def, and these sets show that CBS has put a lot of time and care into them. Each one is loaded with extra features, and the picture and sound quality is the best any of these shows have ever looked on home video. If any shows deserve to be preserved in the highest possible quality, these three definitely qualify. I only hope they sell well enough to justify future seasons and we aren’t relegated to single season novelty releases.

John Wayne Film Collection – This new-to-Blu-ray box set includes some great films: The Big Trail, The Barbarian and the Geisha, The Horse Soldiers, North To Alaska, The Comancheros, The Longest Day, and The Undefeated. The only thing about it that’s not great? The fact that the DVD version, which came out two years ago, had three extra movies in it. What’s that about? This is a quality set that includes some lesser-known films alongside some classics, but the fact that you can buy a DVD version and get three more films is kind of annoying. Still, can’t argue with the upgrade to high def.

Transformers Energon: The Complete Series – Shout Factory continues their releasing of the with Transformers cartoons with this collection of the series that ran for 51 episodes in 2004. It has a very distinct visual style, with the Transformers themselves being CGI against a traditional hand-drawn background, which I always thought was kind of cool looking. Unfortunateley, the storyline is not particularly great, and the voice characterizations are — in some cases — so different from what Transformers fans know and love that it can be a bit jarring. Still, completists will want to add this to their collection.

Also available on DVD & Blu-ray this week:

Making its Blu-ray debut, Memphis Belle is a World War II action film that focuses on the bomber pilots. With a cast that includes Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan, D.B. Sweeney, and Billy Zane, this is a pretty good movie that was never a big hit, but is worth watching.

James Cagney stars in Johnny Come Lately, making its Blu-ray debut from mini-Criterion label Olive Films. Cagney takes a break from playing gangsters to star as a crusading reporter who takes up the cause against political corruption in a small town. As always, Cagney carries the tim here, but it’s a pretty solid effort from classic Hollywood.

James Cromwell, Genvieve Bujold, and Campbell Scott star in the drama Still Mine, about a man trying to build a house for his dying wife, who meets opposition from callous town officials. It’s a simple story, but it’s a sweet, charming tale that will warm your heart.

Robin Thicke makes his film debut alongside Jaime Pressly in Making the Rules. Luckily, Thicke’s music career has taken off, because judging by this film (which was clearly made before his current success), he should stick to singing.

Also from Olive Films, Love Happy marks the home video debut of The Marx Brothers’ final film. Groucho takes on more of a narrator role and Marilyn Monroe makes her film debut (in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-her role), but the film is still pretty darn funny.

Lewis Black: Old Yeller – Live at the Borgata offers up a typically acerbic, yell-y, hand-flapping stand-up comedy set from the popular Lewis Black. Turn the volume down a bit before you sit for this one.

Kirk Douglas stars in Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole, a scathing indictment of American media about a reporter who stumbles on the scoop of the century and will do anything to keep it. Douglas is terrific, Wilder’s direction is spot-on, and the Criterion Collection treatment ensures that this is a top-notch release.

Dramatizing the famous Brown vs. the Board of Education case in 1954 and starring Sidney Poitier, Separate But Equal is a magnificent portrayal of the fight against segregation.

Mr. Jones is a new horror film that would actually be pretty good if it wasn’t a found footage style film. I just don’t understand why filmmakers keep ruining movies by putting the in this format.

Good night, John Boy! Take a trip back to the frontier with Little House on the Prairie: Season 2 – Deluxe Remastered Edition. This is the show’s first release on Blu-ray, and with its remastered and restored picture, it has honestly never looked better.

Following up on the complete series box set that came out last year, China Beach: Season Three is now available in a more affordable version.

Laverne & Shirley: Eighth & Final Season wraps up the hit show’s run on DVD, and it sees everyone’s favorite roommates back for another season of laughs. By this point, the show was getting a little tired, but if you’ve picked up the first seven seasons, there’s no reason to stop now.

Rookie Blue: Season 4 follows a group of young young cops who have recently graduated from the academy, and… well, there’s no and, really. That’s pretty much it. It’s basically the Grey’s Anatomy set in a police precinct. But that’s not a bad thing; the show is entertaining and easy to watch.

Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Norma Shearer, Paulette Goddard, and Joan Fontaine make up the all-star cast in The Women, a tale of strife and drama among high society ladies. The tim makes its Blu-ray debut this week.

Mill Creek introduces their Anniversary series with new DVD editions of some classic films. This week sees the release of The Lords Of Flatbush – 40th Anniversary Edition (starring a young Sylvester Stallone) and Who’s Harry Crumb – 25th Anniversary, a John Candy comedy.

Chuggington: Explorer Koko is the latest release of the hit kids’ show. It’s sort of a slightly more interesting version of Thomas the Tank Engine, done in Dismey CGI style and featuring some great voice acting.

Generation War is a huge, epic German miniseries telling of five friends who try to navigate the moral cesspool that is Hitler’s Germany Huge in scope and with excellent production design, this is an interesting take on World War II from the other side of the world.

The intrepid sleuth returns in Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Series 12, which sees the excellent David Suchet return to solve more cases in that inimitable Agatha Christie style.

The Story of the Jews with Simon Schama is an epic five-part documentary series tracing the origins of the Jewish people from their beginnings to modern day. Schama is an expert in this kind of matter and makes the program interesting and compelling.

Adventure Time: The Suitor marks the latest release of the inexplicably popular cartoon series. I DO NOT under any circumstances get this show. And maybe that’s not important, to really understand it on a conceptual level, but I REALLY don’t get this show. So much to the point where I can say that I really don’t like it. Not even a little.

Simon and the Oaks is a moving drama about two families trying to survive in Pre-World War II Europe. Bill Skarsgard leads the cast of unknowns (in the U.S.), and the fin’s acting is very powerful.

Frontline: Secrets of the Vatican focuses more on life in Vatican City than the political goings-on of the actual Catholic Church, but it’s pretty interesting nonetheless, and it focuses on something that very rarely gets any kind of press.

Sesame Street: Alphabet Songs is about what you expect from Sesame Street at this point: informative and entertaining television for children (and the parents that watch it). This one focuses on (obviously), songs about the alphabet.